[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 133 (Thursday, November 18, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2039]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            CONGRATULATIONS TO REPRESENTATIVE BILL LIPINSKI

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. LANE EVANS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 17, 2004

  Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to congratulate my good 
friend Representative Bill Lipinski his retirement after 22 years of 
dedicated service in the House of Representatives. Bill has been a 
close friend of mine since we were freshman together in the 98th 
Congress, and I know that reporting to work each day will not be the 
same without Bill around.
  Representative Lipinski is a native of Chicago and works incredibly 
hard for the residents of the 3rd Congressional district. Even after 11 
terms in Congress he still flies home nearly every weekend to address 
the concerns of his constituents. Bill has spent his entire career 
working for the people of Chicago, first in Chicago's Park District for 
17 years, then as the 23rd Ward Alderman in the Chicago City Council, 
and then as a U.S. Congressman.
  Some of Bill's greatest achievements lie in his work on the House 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. He has done an 
incredible amount both for Chicago and for the entire state of Illinois 
and has secured millions of dollars in federal funding for improvements 
at both Midway and O'Hare airports. For example, in 1990 Representative 
Lipinski sponsored and helped pass the Passenger Facility Charge Bill 
to enable both Midway and O'Hare to finance important airport 
infrastructure projects.
  In the 105th Congress, Bill was instrumental in passing the 
Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, under which Illinois 
continues to receive an average of $885 million per year for highway 
funding and $150 million per year for mass transit programs. During the 
107th Congress, Representative Lipinski was the author of legislation 
to allow Chicago's Mayor Daley to expand O'Hare International Airport 
without consulting the Illinois Governor, an important step of autonomy 
for the city.
  I cannot say enough about how much I have enjoyed working with Bill. 
Again, Mr. Speaker, I would like to convey my sincerest thanks to 
Representative Bill Lipinski for his friendship and counsel, and 
congratulations to both him and his family on this well-deserved 
retirement. He has built an outstanding career during these past 22 
years and will be sorely missed in the halls of Congress. I will look 
forward to working with his son, incoming Representative Daniel 
Lipinski, during the coming years.

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